Dark Performance
by Spiderviperfiend
Summary: Ion Volkov has hunted the vampires for centuries, and now he's at the end of his endurance. But he has one last thing left to do. With his soul on the line he sets out to stop a powerful vampire that has lived for centuries. Knowing that it's a suicide mission, Ion sets prepares for one last hunt. Can anything or anyone save him in time?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Carpathian mountains were encased in hauntingly beautiful shades of deep blue and pale moonlight. Further punctuating this scene of wondrous majesty where the myriad amount of stars that dotted the expansive canvas of the night sky.

While some people comfortably slept others couldn't help but stare in awe at the beautifully frozen kingdom. The night belonged to the Carpathians and they accepted that knowledge with humble gratitude.

Except for him.

Flying through the night in the form of an owl Ion Volkov paid no mind to the sights this night offered.

On the other hand, the man whom he took blood from earlier tonight had thought that the night was so beautiful that he couldn't resist heading out for a short stroll through the village. It took no effort from Ion to lure him into a dark corner of the village in order to take his blood. The hard part was having the willpower to stop himself every time he fed. With each passing day he could feel the beast in him growing stronger, it's demands become harder to ignore. He had lived centuries fighting the darkness in the world as well as in himself. Tonight marked the beginning of the end for him. He knew he was nearing the end of his existence and the looming choice was bearing down upon him like never before. The choice of either killing his honor, or dying with it. To become a vampire, or to meet the dawn.

Like all ancient hunters Ion had carried the hope that he would find her. His lifemate. Only she could restore the colors and emotions that had died out centuries ago, leaving only the encroaching darkness to devour what was left of him.

It was so close now, he could feel it. That thick cord of hope he had once carried in his youth was now reduced to a single thread. Already he could feel the thread ready snap under the weight of the beast in him.

He had to finish what he came here to do before that happened. His final act as a Carpathian warrior in this world.

He shifted from an owl into his tall and muscular form as he landed in front of the house of Mikhail Dubrinsky, the prince of the Carpathian people. He had sent word of his arrival before he had even come close to the house. Mikhail was already standing on his porch, waiting for him. Standing next to him was his second in command, The Dark One, Gregori Daratrazanoff.

"Well met, hunter." Mikhail spoke softly. Even those words of greeting carried the weight and power of the Carpathian people.

Gregori strode up to him, all power and muscle that just seemed to glide across the snow covered landscape.

"What brings you here, hunter?" Gregori asked, his voice carrying both a greeting and a command.

Somewhere in the back of Ion's mind he knew that if he still carried his emotions he probably would have smiled. Gregori was all no nonsense and overwhelming intimidation when it came to the protection of the Prince and his lifemate. Even before the loss of his emotions Ion was a man of few words, so he got to the point.

"I am near the end of my life, Dark One." He probably should have felt sadness with those words, but there was nothing.

Both Mikhail and Gregori were silent for a few moments, obviously weighing the sincerity of his words. Sometimes a hunter would come to them feeling like they were at their end. But at Mikhail and Gregori's insistence they could convinced to hang just a little longer. By the look on Ion's face they knew that would not be the case. There would be no swaying him.

"When do you intend to go?" Mikhail asked.

"I'm waiting for Vasya to arrive." Ion replied.

"Vasya, he still lives?" Gregori asked.

"He has chosen to give up his soul." Ion replied flatly.

Again there was nothing inside him. Ion couldn't even feel the sorrow that he should have felt, the sorrow he could see on the faces of the Prince and the Dark One. His childhood friend Vasya Ivankov was gone, what was left was an abomination.

"How long has it been since he turned?" Mikhail asked.

"Just over hundred years ago."

"And you've been hunting him all this time when you yourself are so close to turning?" Gregori said. His question was asked softly yet it carried the sting of a whip.

Ion shrugged. "He's my responsibility."

"And he has arrived here?" Mikhail asked.

"Not yet. But I've been tracking him, and all signs point to the Carpathian mountains. He will be here soon."

"I will bring him to justice." Gregori said.

"He is my responsibility. We had hunted together for years. Dispatching the undead together. Keeping each other from the darkness. Holding onto our honor. He is my responsibility."

The silver in Gregori's eyes grew in intensity. "Do not let your personal feelings for Vasya make you lose sight of your own honor, not when your soul is at stake."

It was a clear warning for Ion to stand down and let one of the other hunter's who was not close to turning take him down.

Ion shook his head. "Vasya has become very powerful and dangerous. I know his attack patterns, his skills, and his strength better than anyone else. I would have the most success in defeating him."

Gregori crossed his arms. "Then why hasn't he been brought to justice yet?"

 _Gregori_ There was a warning tone in Mikhail's voice.

 _Ion is an ancient hunter, he should know better than anybody the dangers of letting his pride get in the way of bringing justice_ _to_ _the undead, childhood friend or not._

Ion knew that barb should have stung. Yet he continued to stare placidly back at the legendary hunter.

"I came here for your assistance Dark One."

Gregori lifted an eyebrow, slightly surprised by the statement. "What do you need?" he asked.

"In order to dispatch Vasya I will have to go all out."

Both Mikhail and Gregori knew what Ion meant. Carpathian males relied on the beast to help them in battle, drawing on it's strength to sharpen their senses and unleash their full potential. However this came with a price, every time they tapped into the strength of the beast, every time they made a kill, it always took a piece of them with it. Ion had hunted for so long that he had nothing left to give. If the beast took from him again as he killed the vampire it would push him over the edge.

Still, Ion continued speak. "If I destroy the vampire, I may not have enough strength to meet the dawn."

"You're that close to turning, and yet you still continue down this path?" Mikhail chimed in.

"It is the only path left to me." Ion replied.

"What of your lifemate" Mikhail asked. "Have you given up hope on her?"

"That path is closed to me. I have just enough strength to destroy Vasya. I will look for her in the next life." Ion turned to Gregori and offered his wrist. "If I should fail to meet to dawn."

Both Mikhail and Gregori paused studying the resolve on Ion's face.

"Are you sure you want this?" Gregori asked.

The two Carpathians knew that is was no small thing that Ion was asking of Gregori. By allowing Gregori to take his blood he was giving Gregori an easy way to track him should he turn vampire. All the Carpathians knew that it was a sure death by allowing the Dark One to take their blood. Gregori was powerful and relentless, and would destroy any threat to the Prince without hesitation. Most Carpathian hunters were too scared to offer him their blood for this very reason. Yet here was Ion, with no hesitation, offering his wrist to Gregori.

"It would be an honor." Was all that Ion said.

Gregori studied his resolve a few moments longer before stepping up to the offered wrist. "Very well." He said before sinking his teeth into this wrist.

When he was done Gregori closed the wound before stepping back, giving Ion a nod of respect. "It is done."

With that Ion turned and strode away.

"If you are ever in need. Call. And I will come." Gregori said to the departing hunter.

Ion turned to look Gregori and nodded. After taking a few steps Ion shifted into an owl and took to the skies.

Mikhail and Gregori watched. The despair of losing another hunter evident on Mikhail's face.

"We'll be losing another great hunter soon." Mikhail said with a sad and weary voice.

Despite having so many lifemated couples they were still losing their hunters. They were still losing hope. At that moment he could feel Raven enter his mind. Feeling his sadness and weariness she was there in an instant. _Raven._ Just the feel of her in his mind was enough to chase away all the bad in this world that threatened to crush him.

 _What would I do without you._ Mikail said as he sent her love and warmth.

Her soft laughter filled his mind. _Anytime my love. I am always with you._

"Not many hunters are willing to do what Ion has done this night." Gregori said. "We should respect and honor him for that."

Mikhail looked at Gregori for a few moments before nodding in agreement.

"Besides, you still have me to kick around." Gregori added.

 _Where are you?_ He thought. _Why can't I find you? Why haven't you come to me?_

As Ion soared through the night his pleas seeped from what was left of his tattered soul and into the night.

 _Come to me. Find me. Save me._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author Note:_

 _I'll try and update this story weekly. But I have work and other things to juggle. So, sorry in advance if I miss a week. Hope you enjoy this story. I'm having a blast writing it. Also, I don't own any of the characters created by the amazing Christine Feehan, just the original ones that I've come up with to populate the beautiful world that Mrs. Feehan has created for us. Thank You for reading!_

Chapter 2

The town was one of the few places of civilization that dotted the vast expanse of wilderness. It was a tight knit community, being as small as it was, yet it also had a healthy population of tourists at any given time. The constant stream of tourists not only kept a smile on the faces of the townsfolk but it also kept the town from disappearing into obscurity.

Tonight the patrons were all sitting at the bar and tables that populated the lounge area of the inn. Although the place was alive with chatter, a current of unease and nervousness seemed to thrum amongst the people. Many sleep deprived eyes couldn't keep from casting anxious glances toward the dark corners of the room and into the night beyond.

Just then the front doors opened, startling everyone out of their thoughts.

In walked three men, wearing long black dusters and two of them carrying large duffel bags. They moved with the fluid grace of jungle cats, completely at ease with their strength and capabilities.

The chatter in the bar seemed to die down as if everyone in the bar were straining to hear what the strangers had to say as they reached the bartender.

"Evening gentlemen, what'll it be?" asked the bartender.

"A shot of whiskey, for all three of us." The man in the middle said.

After the bartender served them their drinks he couldn't help but ask.

"So what brings you out to these parts?"

The middle man, clearly the leader, downs his drink in one go before answering.

"My name is Cole. These are my brothers Damon and Vince."

Every person openly stares at the three as Cole turned to the address the crowd. With a devilish grin he continues.

"We are the Varia brothers, and we hunt vampires."

Outside the village the world became as silent as the grave. Every nocturnal animal, including the insects, hid themselves in fear of the approaching threat.

Moments later the silence began to enter the town as people had the distinct urge to get in doors.

As silence enveloped the entire town many residents began praying.

Something monstrous and horrifying had arrived.

"Vampire hunters huh." The bartender repeated.

"Yes, we're on the trail of a particularly nasty vampiress."

"And that trail led you here?"

"That it did. You folks wouldn't happened to have noticed anything out of the ordinary would you?"

Everyone quietly looked to each other.

Finally a person stood up.

"Different how?"

Cole looked at the man. "With a vampiress it's pretty obvious, you'll have dreams, erotic dreams, about the same beautiful woman."

As soon as he said that a grave hush fell upon the people.

"Those dreams start out all nice and pleasant, but, soon, they start to change."

As he talked, Cole made his way through the crowd, keeping everyone's attention rapt on him.

"They start getting more and more violent. Pretty soon you'll be dreaming about that woman eating you alive, and, the scary part is, you'll let her eat you."

At this point the fear was real on their faces. One person stammered out his response.

"I've had those dreams. So have some of my friends."

Cole slowly walked toward him.

"When did they start?" He asked.

"About a week ago."

Cole, shook his head. "A week ago, huh. That means we got here just in time."

Just then the lights dimmed as shadows crept forth from the corners of the room. A chill blasted through the inn carrying with it a sense of dread and malevolence that raked it's claws deep into all the patrons. Each one of them subconsciously huddling closer towards each other as they cast fearful glances out the windows.

"Wha-?" Someone began.

"Everyone be quiet." Cole said.

Everyone's eyes followed him as he slowly made his way to the window. Some of the patrons began to softly whimper as they saw a thick heavy fog crawl through the deserted streets like a great beast devouring all semblance of life. Even more unnerving was when the fog stopped just before reaching the inn, as if it were waiting.

"It's here." Cole said softly.

Gasps erupted from the patrons as they saw the fog begin to part, revealing a lone figure. The whole crowd was mesmerized by the sight of the staggeringly beautiful woman who slowly sauntered down the street. Her eyes held a vivid green that spoke of an untamed wildness that contrasted perfectly with the silky curtain of raven black hair that went past her shoulders. A rich, vibrant, red colored her full lips which further complimented the mischievous smirk she wore. Her body was the perfect combination of voluptuous curves and sinfully fluid movements that gave the illusion that she was some long forgotten ethereal deity that men worshiped long ago through song and poetry.

One of the patrons was so entranced by the sight of the woman that when he spoke he sounded as if nobody else was around and it was just the woman and him.

"Who are you?" He softly whispered.

The woman smiled as she held out her hand, beckoning him. The man didn't even realize that he had taken a step until Cole put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"That my friend is a vampiress. And an ancient one at that."

The man's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious."

"My dear friend there's one thing that I don't kid around about, and that's vampire hunting."

Cole turned his attention back to the vampiress as he called out to one of his companions.

"Damon. My hunting gear if you please."

Damon nodded as he tossed one of the duffel bags to Cole, who immediately threw off his duster, revealing a combat vest with multiple open pockets. From the duffel bag he withdrew several weapons and items and inserted them into his vest.

A look of astonishment washed over people's face as they watched Cole.

"You're not really gonna fight her are you?" One called out.

"That's the idea." Cole headed towards the front door before turning to the people "Don't go near the windows. Listen to my men, and I promise you'll make it out alive."

With that, Cole stepped out onto the street.

The woman walked towards him, her feet not seeming to even touch the ground, as if she were floating.

"Good evening sir. I was wondering if you could help me out. I'm a little lost." The vampiress said. Her voice was like heaven to listen to, playing over the skin like fingers from a skilled pianist totally immersed in her craft. Her voice was accented so that it sounded like such a young innocent girl that you just wanted to take into your arms and shield her from all that was wrong in the world. Yet at the same time her voice sounded like that of a woman who ignited fantasies of long nights of hot passion in which your every carnal desire would be met until you drowned in ecstasy.

"Please sir." Her alluring voice continued.

Cole wasn't fazed, his stare was frozen in a grim expression. He shook his head 'no'.

"What's wrong? Why do you look at me so?" She sounded like the epitome of hurt. "Why do you hate me?" Sorrow rolled off of her in waves, piercing everyone nearby with intense sadness.

Now standing in front of Cole she raised her hand to stroke his stoic face but stopped when he spoke.

"I'm not some squirrelly amateur to be swayed by such theatrics she-devil."

The vampiress' facade began to crack. Her beautiful face fractured and broke away to reveal something sinister beneath. Immediately the entire area permeated with such an evil aura that everyone was thrown out of their trance as if they had been doused with ice cold water.

"You will do as your told!" The vampiress spat.

Fear pooled in the gut of nearly everyone at the inn, some cried uncontrollably while others could be heard muttering fierce prayers. Damon looked on as the third companion turned to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Vince and you have nothing to fear. For your saviors have arrived in the nick of time."

Everyone's attention returned to the fight outside as they saw the vampiress ready herself to attack.

"Come at me devil woman! I eagerly await your worst!" Cole called out.

The crowd was captivated as a young attractive woman spoke. "He's so brave." While another attractive woman said a silent prayer for Cole.

"That he is" Vince said. "That he is indeed."

The vampiress charged Cole. Just before she could touch him, he withdrew a wreath of garlic. The vampiress quickly retreated as her face churned with disgust.

The people gasped as they saw this.

"They hate garlic!" One of them cried out.

"Yes." Vince said. "But. Not any kind of garlic will do."

Several people turned to look at him.

"You see, the most effective garlic has to be grown in holy ground and blessed by a priest."

Just then Vince withdraws a wreath of garlic from his duffel bag. "Much like the ones we sell here to people we come across."

When the crowd saw this they began calling out. "I'll take one of those garlic wreaths."

Another shouted "Me too!"

"I'll take two!" Someone else said.

"Alright. That's the spirit. I thought I sensed a hunter in all of you." Damon added enthusiastically as he was practically swarmed with men and women waving their money madly at him. Damon could barely conceal the look of relish on his face.

A roar, followed by a thunderous boom sounded off in the streets.

The audience was thoroughly captivated as the two engaged in their mortal dance, circling each other in a violent series of feints and counters. The vampiress was clearly trying to get at the hunter's flank as she kept circling to her right.

The inn patrons would all gasp whenever the vampiress went in for a killing blow that would narrowly miss the hunter's neck. At the same time they were all starstruck at the sight of a man facing an ancient terror without flinching.

Who was this man that would risk his life for mere strangers?

"Who are you guys?" A man asked.

The fight outside increased in intensity as the vampiress' fury could be felt by all. People broke out in cold sweats, while others shivered uncontrollably. Yet both Vince and Damon calmly watched the fight. After a moment Vince spoke.

"Whenever evil pushes it's way into this world, we are the ones who push back."

"Because it is what we were born to do." Damon.

"To vampires we're known as the Trinity of Death, but to the world, we prefer to just be called The Varia brothers, defenders of humanity."

Quickly Cole pulled out two silver colored daggers and he pressed his attack, looking like he had just stepped out of a fable.

"The silver that he wields was forged back when the Bible was still being written and has been passed down from saint to saint throughout the ages. It is said that each dagger carries the will of the saints that have carried them into battle against the undead."

Awe washed over the crowd as they looked on at the battle.

The vampiress snarled in fury, her eyes glowing a feral red as her skin took on a porcelain texture; fragmenting little by little to reveal the hideous monstrosity underneath.

She looked like she had had enough. Quickly she launched herself into the air and charged Cole with blinding speed. The two struggled in the air as the vampiress tried to rip his throat out with single bite.

In a single smooth movement the hunter pulled out three small plastic vials that contained a clear liquid and sealed with a rubber nipple tip. The three bottles looked like small finger size baby bottles. He squeezed the vials and the sent the clear liquid streaming into the face of the vampiress. She dropped the hunter as she brought her hands to her face where the liquid had hit her. The sky was filled with an ear piercing shriek of agony as Cole plummeted through the roof of a nearby farmhouse. The vampiress loss altitude quickly as she crash landed right in front of the inn. Many of the women cried out in despair as they watched Cole fall.

The vampiress slowly stood up, facing them. Her face looked melted, all the beauty that she had previously exuded was long gone now. What stood before them now was a skeletal figure that looked as if it had been dipped in tar and infested with insects and spiders.

"The holy water reveals them for what they truly are." Vince said as he held up the same plastic vial that Cole had used. "This vial was not only blessed by priests, but it also contains the tears of saints who laid down their lives for the safety of humanity. Holy water is the physical manifestation of selflessness, therefore it's like poison to the vampires, for they are greedy creatures by nature."

It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment the vampiress was several feet away from the inn and the next moment she was standing just outside the doorway.

Terror reverberated throughout the patrons, many of them huddled into small groups while others prayed openly.

Damon withdrew a silver cross from his bag and held it up to the vampiress who immediately retreated as if she had been scorched by fire.

As this was happening, Damon was busily passing out silver crosses to patrons.

The vampiress' face contorted into a malevolent grin as she began to circle the building seeking entrance from one of the inn's open windows.

"She's coming around the side!" Damon called out. "Get ready!"

"Steady." Vince said to people who held crosses, sounding like a general on a battlefield.

When the vampiress found an open window Damon cried out. "Now! Hold out your crosses! Don't lose faith in those crosses! If you do, the cross will withdraw it's power from you, and the she-devil will pounce!"

The patrons nodded.

"Repeat after me. I believe. I believe. I believe" Vince commanded.

The patron immediately took up the call, chanting 'I believe' as they faced the vampiress. Once the chanting had started, the vampiress hastily retreating back into the street as if she were being pelted with invisible rocks. She turned to leave the town but her escape was cut off by Cole who stood there like a fearless sentinel.

Several women cried out in happiness upon seeing him alive.

He had discarded his hunting vest, revealing his muscular chest. The vampiress was frozen in place, her back to the audience as Cole appeared to have jabbed something into her chest.

She let out a wail of mind rending pain as she turned back to the audience, revealing the wooden stake that protruded from her chest.

"There it is!" Vince said. "What every true vampire hunter needs, a wooden stake. That stake was made from the wooden crosses the bore the bodies of slain saints into the afterlife. Each wooden fiber is infused with the iron will of countless martyrs."

The vampiress staggered a coupled of steps before collapsing to her knees. Her body burst into flames that licked scorching trails across her flesh. Soon her entire body lit up like a roman candle which then slowly began to cave in on itself as if she were melting. A few moments later her screams died out as the fire burned brighter and hotter.

Cole stood there, his body glistening with sweat as he spoke. "When you get to hell she-devil, tell them The Varia brothers sent you."

With that the fire died out, leaving behind a small puddle of noxious goo that was quickly absorbed into the ground.

As Cole turned to head back to the inn he was met with resounding applause and deafening cheers; not just from the inn but also from nearby houses where people had holed up for safety.

"And that ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done" he said.

The whole town had come alive in celebration that would last for several days. The three Varia brothers hailed as heroes and were given money from many thankful villagers. They also found themselves unable to travel anywhere without a harem of women clinging to them. Not that the three brothers minded.

Several miles away from the town, deep in the woods the ground began to break open. A lone figure emerged. The same beautiful woman that had terrorized the town just a few hours earlier. Dirt was caked all over her, and her hair was slightly disheveled from the fight.

Using her Carpathian powers, Jaycie cleaned herself until she was a flawless pristine. Once she had done that she sat down on a small boulder, and huffed a breath of annoyance as she communicated the three brothers.

"I'm tired of being the vampiress. Next town, you guys are going to be the blood thirsty beasts and I'll be the intrepid huntress."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Sorry for the ultra late update. Life man. You know? But still, I plan to continue this story. I've been working on few concepts for the story as well as planning other characters are gonna be showing soon. So. The story continues. Thank you for reading. Thank you so much for the comments. Also, to answer a commenter's question. I have seen the anime Hitman Reborn, and yes, that's were I got the name Varia from. Hope you all enjoy the rest of this story!

The town was still in full celebration when Jaycie returned. The streets where crowded, with the majority of the swarm centered around the inn.

 _The boys clearly sound like they're enjoying themselves._

Jaycie smirked as she looked in the direction of the inn.

 _Oh well. They earned it._

Jaycie knew the brothers put a lot of prep work into each performance. They deserve to enjoy the payoffs.

With that she continued on her way, needing to feed.

It took her some time to find a person who wasn't drunk. She led the man into a dark corner and cast a glamour over the two of them. She entered the man's mind and put him under a gentle, relaxing, slightly erotic dream state as she took his blood. She only took enough to replenish the energy she had spent for the performance, making sure he had enough to function and recover.

Once she had finished she used her tongue to close the wounds and left him there, looking like a person who had partied a little too hard.

The moment she entered the treeline away from the eyes of the villagers she quickly shifted into the form of an owl and took to the skies.

The night felt alive and most exciting when one saw it from the view of an owl. Of all the lessons that had been hammered into her mind during her conversion, this was the one that she had come to love. She took her time sailing though the skies, taking full advantage of the owl's extraordinary eyesight to admire the sweeping landscape around her. There were times when all she wanted to do was to stay in this form, not bothering to return. It was just too peaceful here, one didn't have to worry about the real life monsters that lived in this world, nor the maddening stress that came with humanity.

 _Here, one could just exist. Why can't that be enough?_

Jaycie had been flying for several hours before landing in front of a lone RV that was parked in a small clearing. With a resigned internal sigh she resumed her regular form and made her way into the R.V.

The inside of the R.V. was lined with chairs and a small kitchenette. In the very back were several long lounge chairs that faced a large flat screen. Jaycie walked towards one of the cabinets by the refrigerator. She opened the cabinet which revealed a small mini fridge. She opened it, revealing several packets of blood that were labelled according to their donors, one of the three brothers. Jaycie chose a pack and began filling a thermos with it. While fresh blood from a human was best at restoring her energy and calming her hunger, the Varia brothers offered their blood as a snack for her. While she appreciated the gesture, she at first felt that there was no need to do such a thing. As time went along she came to enjoy it far more than she thought she would.

Once the thermos was full Jaycie headed to the back of the R.V. She drank from the thermos as she walked past the remains of the prep work for tonight's performance. The floor was covered with wood shavings from when they crafted the stakes from scrap wood. The silver paint that was used for the crucifixes was still piled on the counters. Jaycie smiled at the memory of Damon hunched over the counters painstakingly carving the crucifixes. Damon had a gift for wood carvings, the things he carved were almost lifelike in appearance. Such skills were invaluable for creating their so called holy items from mere scratch, and selling them for ridiculous amounts of money.

Jaycie couldn't help but smile even as a part of her felt bad for tricking people.

 _Oh well._

She thought.

 _Money comes and goes. Why not make the most of it?_

Jaycie plopped herself down on one of the lounge sofas in the back of the RV. She sipped on her thermos as the PS4 and the large plasma screen were firing up.

It has been just over thirty years since she had last been human and already time was beginning to feel like an arbitrary thing. She hadn't visibly aged in those fifty years and she felt no age related fatigue or weariness, if anything it was the exact opposite.

She still remembers that distinct, momentous, feeling of change when she first awoke in her new life. Pulling from what she remembered from movies and books, along with extensive research, Jaycie was able to figure out what had happened to her, and she had over fifty years to accept it.

The one who had changed her had called their race something else. But for her, she couldn't get past the first word that came to mind.

Vampire.

Her appearance alone was enough to confirm all suspicions. While she had never really considered herself beautiful when she was human she did her best to be attractive. She remembered all those torturous years of dieting fads and exercise regimens only to end up with semi-stellar results.

 _Still. I should have at least gotten a "A" for effort._

After the conversion, Jaycie couldn't even recognize the person she saw in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was flawless, gorgeous. It was one of the most unnerving sights she had ever seen. Even now Jaycie prefers to avoid her reflection as much as possible.

The video game had completely booted up and awaited her commands. She browsed through the various games they had saved on the device's memory for a few moments before settling on an rpg she was making her way through. She spent the next several hours playing, all the while her mind would drift back to those early years, before she met the boys.

Jaycie had never felt so alone those first few years. The one who had converted her had died and she was left to make sense of all the information he had shoved into her mind right before his end. It ranged from how to clean oneself, how to feed, where to sleep. Then there came the spells that ranged from basic protection and levitation to full on transformation and summoning.

Jaycie smiled at her in game character as they summoned lighting for an attack. She remembered nearly killing herself the first time she had tried to summon lighting. She was lucky all it did was nearly rip her arm off and scorch the left side of her body. She had completely missed Christmas and New Years on account of spending nearly a month in the ground recovering from that.

It wasn't too long after that that she met the Varia brothers.

From the time they could remember, their mother had always had this animosity towards them. Like as if they had done something unforgivable to her. One day, when they were 10 years old, she took them to a park to let them play; she had even bought them snacks and ice cream before that. The boys were so stunned and overjoyed by this show of affection that they completely lost themselves in happiness as they played. However, after a few hours they soon realized that their mother was nowhere to be seen. They walked home and found it empty of their meager belongings. She had left them. To this day they still don't know what had become of her, or why she hated them so much.

The boys spent the next 3 years living in the streets; scavenging for food from dumpsters and pick pocketing tourists.

They were horribly emaciated, filthy, and on the verge of death when Jaycie came across them. Their psychic signature was what had drawn her to them when she had drifted into their city. They were similar to her in that they could pick up on psychic energy, yet at the same time they were different from her. It wasn't until a few years later when they underwent their first transformation that she was able to pick up on what they were.

The one who saved and converted her had shoved not only information about their race but also other races into her head, including the Jaguar race.

Jaycie passed the remainder of the night playing video games and sipping on her thermos of blood. The sun was just under an hour away from rising in the east and Jaycie could already feel the pull of the earth. A sense of anxiety and depression always overcame her at these times. Even after all these years these feelings never left her. Fear that something might happen to her, that this would be it, that she would die this day. But she also felt sadness at what she had become. She was grateful that the man had saved her, and she owed to him to at least carve some semblance of a life in honor of his memory. Yet those reasons did little to push back the crushing weight of fear and sadness.

As always these two separate emotions she was feeling would begin to meld with each other and become a singular entity that clawed at her; loneliness.

Jaycie would forever be grateful that she had found the three brothers when she did. Because she was sure that if she hadn't found them they wouldn't have lasted another six months. And It had also occurred to Jaycie that she wouldn't have lasted much longer either.

 _But had they really saved me?_ She wondered.

 _Or, have they merely prolonged the inevitable_.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The sun dipped past the horizon in the west as Jaycie opened her eyes. She immediately scanned her resting place to see if any intruders had managed to get past her safeguards. When the coast was clear she rose out of the ground and made her way out; checking the entrance to the cave and the surroundings before taking to the air in owl form.

It took her a few a minutes before she reached the RV. A quick scan of the RV told her that the boys had returned.

Jaycie quickly assumed her regular form as soon as she landed and headed inside.

Vince sat at the table with his shirt off, his upper back showed several bleeding scratches. Cole stood behind him, busily applying disinfectant and bandages to the wounds while Damon sat at the table, counting the money they had gathered from the performance.

"You boys look like you had fun last night." Jaycie said, not in the least surprised by the sight.

"I like this village" Cole said. "This is a good village. Full of wonderful people, generous elders, great culture. And limber young women."

"True that" Vince added. "I don't know what chores these village elders got their young women doing, but they are doing the Lord's work."

"You say that but, damn, this girl did a number on your back." Cole said.

"Yeah, she did." Vince said with a big smug smile on his face.

"It wasn't that quiet one your were talking to the whole night was it?" Damon said as he looked up from his counting.

"It was indeed. I'm telling you, the quiet ones are where it's at. A kitten in the streets but a tiger in the sheets"

"A freak indeed, I think some of these need stitches." Cole added.

Jaycie sighed and motioned for Cole to step aside.

As soon as Cole did, Jaycie began using her tongue to close up the wounds. This was something she had been doing for them ever since they were little. She licked his wounds with a clinical precision that spoke of the countless times she had done this before. Despite the size of the three boys the sight of Jaycie standing among them gave off the image of an experienced mother jaguar cleaning her cubs who had spent the day playing.

Cole opened up his laptop and began checking his email.

"Hey, leave some of them there." Vince said.

"Huh?" Jaycie replied.

"For a man like me whose job it is to save young beautiful women from their virginity these are stripes of honor."

"I see. Well then. Good luck with that." Jaycie said. She patted his shoulder before making her way to the small fridge that held her blood packs. She quickly set herself up with a blood pack before taking a seat and began leisurely drinking.

"I don't know man. You say that but that girl did a number on your back. Plus this morning we had to practically peel her off of you." Damon replied.

"Yes, it is a blessing and a curse to be a gift to women. Which is why I plan on letting her down easy and visit her again before we leave."

Jaycie snorted. "She's probably gonna tie you to her bed next time. Like that guy in that Stephen King movie."

"A saint in the streets, but a demon in the sheets." Damon reiterated.

"That's fine too." Vince replied. "I'll just remember to dip my condoms in holy water."

The boys chuckled while Jaycie wrinkled her nose.

"Plus I don't even know why you all are concerned about me while Cole over there is one email away from scoring with a man!"

"She's not a man." Cole replied.

"She calls herself TemplarKitty. She's obviously a guy who's catfishing you." Vince retorted.

"She." Cole started. "Is the reason we always stay one step ahead of Morrison and friends."

"A member of the Morrison Research Institute who thinks you really are hunting vampires. Please be careful Cole." Jaycie said.

"I know. I know." Cole replied.  
"Yeah, be careful she don't split you in half while manhandling you." Vince added.

Damon and Jaycie both burst out laughing.

"Hey, don't be jelly. Just because I've found a sweet girl to talk to."

"A sweet girl sure." Vince said. "That's until you peel off her clothes and find out she's packing heat."

Everyone started laughing again, even Cole couldn't help but crack a smile. He looked over to Damon.

"Damon I don't know why you're laughing, spending all of last night with your harem of woolly mammoths."

Damon merely smiles as he continues to count their earnings.

"Ain't nothing wrong with au naturale boys. Right Jaycie?"

"Why am I getting dragged into this? I'm just an innocent bystander!" Jaycie exclaimed.

"So" Cole began. "Now that we're all here, how'd we do?"

"Well," Damon started as he continued counting the money. "a lot of our stuff was purchased in exchange for jewelry and expensive watches. So our end result is 26,578 euros."

The group all sit there for a few moments of total silence, letting that number sink in.  
Finally Cole speaks. "Wow….At last. We can finally retire and live like kings for the rest of our lives."  
Jaycie furrowed her brows as she asked: "Was this a poor village?"

"This village is supposed to be a tourist hot spot." Damon replied. "So our take should have been much larger."

Cole instantly started pacing.

"We missed our window of opportunity." Cole said. "It's because we got hung up in Germany with all those music festivals. We lost a lot of time there."

"And most of our money." Jaycie added.

Vince walks in and plops himself down on an open spot on the couch.  
"So what now?" Vince says.

"We could try another village, but we may end up in the same position as before despite how much work we put into these performances." Cole started.

"We could always try our luck in a city." Vince added."Large cities would have a tremendous amount of wealthy people just looking for things to spend their money on."

"There is lots of money in the city." Cole agreed.

"Also, lots of attention. Lots of chances of getting caught." Jaycie added. "There's also the Morrison Research Center in the city."

The three brothers let out a collective groan as they recalled their past run-ins with the fanatical vampire hunting organization. The so called vampire hunters couldn't even differentiate a true vampire from a normal person, causing countless innocent people to die by their hands.

"So what then?" Vince asked.

Everyone was silent for several moments as they all thought hard about their next move.

"I have an idea." Jaycie said. The three brothers looked to her. "There is a certain village, near the Carpathian mountains, that is said to be the home of a reclusive billionaire. A man by the name of Mikhail Dubrinsky."

The three brothers sat there thinking for a moment.

"Dubrinsky...I've heard that name before." Cole said.  
"Yes. You may have heard of his daughter." Jayce added.

As he thought about it some more his eyes suddenly lit up. Excitedly he said "Wait, are you talking about Savannah?"

Jaycie nodded.

"Thee Savannah?!"

"Yes" Jaycie shrugged.

The jaws of the three brothers were practically on the floor.

"Till this day. Till this very day!" Vince enunciated each word with a pounding of his fist on the table. "Magicians have yet to be able to figure how she did more than half of her magic tricks. The woman is a legend."

As fellow performers, nearly all of them had a lot of respect for Savannah Dubrinsky.

"And you wanna rob her father?" Cole asked Jaycie.

"Well. Robbing is a bit of a strong word. I like to think of it as us putting on a performance for him. And when he meets The Vampiress" Jaycei points to herself. "If he so happens to throw a few million dollars towards our brave vampire hunters. Well. I'd call it a good evening."  
"How do we know if he's gonna pay?" Damon asked.

"Why wouldn't he pay" Vince replied. "A man like Mikhail Dubrinsky is most likely some super pampered feather weight softy. Who's probably surrounded by ex-military rent a soldiers who'll probably wet themselves at the sight of our glorious Vampiress."

"Exactly" Jaycie added. "Men like Mikhail, most likely spend their time buying expensive cars and bedding beautiful women. They'll be practically eating out of our hands."

"They?" Damon said.

Jaycie smiled "I haven't even told you guys about the bonus. Mikhail happens to be close friends with several other billionaire families that also vacation out there. Families like the Daratrazanoff family whom Savannah married into. Mikhail even has close ties with the De La Cruz brothers from South America."

The three brothers looked at her stunned.

"Think of it boys." Jaycie added. "Think of all that money, just laying in the hands of those over privileged billionaires, in desperate need of our liberation."

The three brothers sat there, thinking. Soon a smile began to form on their faces, and the longer they thought of the scenario the wider their smiles grew.  
"I love it." Cole said.

"Guys," Vince started. "This plan, this performance, it's gonna be legendary."

All of the others looked at Vincent and started to laugh at his enthusiasm.

"I'm serious!" Vince added. "I can't help but get this feeling that this performance, years later, we're gonna look back at this as the game changer for us."

Everyone settled down at the sight of his serious tone.  
"I hope so." Jaycie said. "It's a huge risk, I know."

"So is every time we perform." Cole replied. "But in this case, the gains clearly out weigh the risks."

Vince and Damon both nodded in agreement.

"So, we in?" Jaycie asked.

"We're in." The three brothers said in unison.

"Alright then. Let's do it." Jaycie said.

"May fortune smile on us time." Cole said.

"As long as nothing goes wrong." Damon added.

"You always say that." Vince said. "You always say that for every performance and nothing ever does go wrong. Don't jinx us now."

"Okay, okay. It just had to be said." Damon replied.

"We'll plan for as many contingencies as possible." Jaycie said. "to reduce the risks. So, unless something truly unexpected happens, we should all walk out of this as wealthy individuals."

Several miles to the north of the Carpathian mountains Ion flies through the air in the form of an owl. The nearly full moon painting him in a luminous glow, giving him the appearance of a deified wraith prowling his domain.

After a few moments of searching he spots something on a riverbank.

Setting down he changes back into his normal form.

A dead body lays on the shore, listlessly shifting from the subtle waves.

Scanning everything with extreme attention to detail he surveys the surrounding area. Seeing that there is no traps he approaches the body.

Judging from the marks on her body, the young woman had died painfully; with her face frozen in terror.

Ion studies the body, seeing if he can find anymore clues from her body.

Just then he notices something else floating down the river.

Another body.

As Ion begins to approach the body, he notices another body floating down the river.

And then another dead body. Soon over a dozen dead bodies have filled river. All of them young women, some even in their teens.

"Vasya" Ion quietly mutters.

The night is young, and Vasya had just sent Ion an invitation.


End file.
